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The Philadelphia 76ers Defense Lineup

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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With news of Ben Simmons‘ foot injury sucking optimism out of the Philadelphia 76ers fan base all too prematurely, fans merely need to look to the defense schemed by head coach Brett Brown to restore their hope for a good season

The 2015-2016 Philadelphia 76ers struggled all season. Perhaps the most painful area of the team last season was the semi-porous defense the team tried to impose on their opponents. Ending the season with the 29th defense in a 30 team league, the 107.6 points per game surrendered eliminated the 76ers fairly early in regular season competition.

Fortunately, it’s a new year and that brings a new wave of new faces. With a team looking to have as many as eight newcomers, how will that impact the team’s defense?

Significantly.

The greatest change is the fact that the team is likely to have a staunch defense ready to go in reserve.  With defensive standouts named Nelens Noel, Jerami Grant, Richaun Holmes and Dario Saric, the bench will likely play a major role in the success of the team this season.

With the Philadelphia 76ers first preseason games arriving October 4 at 7:00 PM ET against the Boston Celtics, the team has named the tentative starters for that showdown:

As you know, Ben Simmons has fractured his right foot. In his place, you should expect the appearance of the Croatian Sensation, Dario Saric.

With the like of Embiid, Saric, Covington, Henderson, and Bayless on the floor, prepare to see staunch defense.  With Embiid patrolling the post, Saric on the weak side, and Henderson harassing the opponent’s wing, the 76ers will likely have a good chance of bolstering their fast break with more turnovers.

While no Ben Simmons laser passing, do not discount the accuracy of Dario Saric on his passing, nor the basketball IQ of veteran Jerryd Bayless.

But the key to this defense is Joel Embiid.  With two years of frustrating rehabilitation, he is eager to silence his social media critics and show up on the basketball court.  It’s that focused passion which could make him a very dangerous matchup for virtually any opponent this season.

But his minutes, as well as those of Gerald Henderson and Jahlil Okafor, will likely be limited in that first preseason game.  Despite the appearance of a log jam at center, two of three centers facing limited playing time to open the season has forced the Philadelphia 76ers to hold off on any serious trade talks.  For now, it’s important for the team to understand what each player is capable of in this team’s scheme before trading solid players to other teams.

We haven’t seen a defensive roster like this before under head coach Brett Brown.  In many ways, the debut of Ben Simmons would have upstaged the defensive effort of this team.

Let Simmons heal.  The Philadelphia 76ers need to assert themselves on defense. With this roster, that could very likely take place.

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